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Twin
Apr 11, 2020 19:33:19 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Apr 11, 2020 19:33:19 GMT
A propos of nothing really;
This Scandi series on BBC4 on Saturday nights is being recorded and watched by SWMBO. (I used to watch some of the Scandi stuff, but I watch very little TV nowadays).
Anyway, it had struck me from the trailers that it looked like it was set on the Lofoten Islands, one of the most beautiful places we've ever visited. It rather invoked a sense of disappointment, because it is likely that under different circumstances we would be heading North into Scandinavia in a month or so (though it's unlikely it would have been as far North as the Lofotens this time).
Anyway, whilst watching the recording, my wife called me in, paused the scene, and said "where do you think that is?"........
....and it was Unstad, and it would appear that it plays a major part in the plot.
It's quite odd really, because it is a very out-of the-way village, with but a few houses and a surf school, absolutely nothing else. You really have to go out of your way to get there......and we did! It has a bay backed by a huge bowl in the landscape, and approach is by a dead-end road via a near 1/2 mile single-track tunnel, which curves for its full length, so you can't see if there is anything coming the other way! Interesting in a large camper van, and it was so interesting we blagged a stay behind the surf school. 24 hour daylight.
Absolutely stunning scenery, and we did a challenging walk round the coast to an old nazi radar station (where the café was supposed to be shut, but wasn't) and back.
Jeez, it is beautiful up there.
As you were!
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Twin
Apr 11, 2020 19:36:27 GMT
Post by Humph on Apr 11, 2020 19:36:27 GMT
I like Scandinavia in general. The geography, the people, the culture. In fact it's all nearly perfect, let down only by the beer prices really.
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Twin
Apr 11, 2020 20:08:05 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Apr 11, 2020 20:08:05 GMT
I like Scandinavia in general. The geography, the people, the culture. In fact it's all nearly perfect, let down only by the beer prices really. Generally extortionateexpensive in anywhere with service, but actually, alcohol in Scandinavia is not entirely prohibitive if you buy to take away (which is fairly easy to do with a motorhome, but you do have to be aware of the drink/drive limits, which are very low). I was heading South in Norway one Saturday morning near Mo-i-Rana when we spotted several police holding a bucket out to a long queue of traffic coming the other way, maybe 60 or 70 cars. I genuinely thought they were having a weekend collection for police charities until we saw they were breathalysing each and every one, and the drivers were throwing the tubes in the bucket! I'd had a drink the night before, and started to sweat slightly. I had no doubt I would have passed a UK (English) test, but my mind started to dwell on the much lower limits. Luckily, they were fully occupied with the Northbound traffic. Decent strength beer can be bought in supermarkets in Norway and Finland (the latter being quite cheap and drinkable - even the "pub" prices weren't too bad). Swedish supermarkets have a lower strength limit. Then, for alcohol of any kind stronger its the state-owned Vinmonopolet(Norway) Systembolaget(Sweden) or the wonderfully named Alko(Finland). Over the years we've seen these develop from real back-street brown-paper bag outlets to something rather more schizophrenic. It's still sort of frowned on, but prominently advertised all over, and with a much better selection of alcohol than you might expect. Wine is a slight mark up on UK prices, but not through the roof.
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Twin
Apr 12, 2020 4:29:15 GMT
Post by EspadaIII on Apr 12, 2020 4:29:15 GMT
We really liked Iceland although the prices were somewhat high compared to the UK (but isn't that the case everywhere these days except for South Africa?)
Beerin supermarkets was sold with a maximum alcohol level of 2.5%. You peed it out before it had any effect...
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Twin
Apr 12, 2020 7:40:43 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Apr 12, 2020 7:40:43 GMT
We really liked Iceland although the prices were somewhat high compared to the UK (but isn't that the case everywhere these days except for South Africa?) ....as I keep saying, Germany.....
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Twin
Apr 12, 2020 22:54:12 GMT
via mobile
Post by dixinormus on Apr 12, 2020 22:54:12 GMT
Hey Tired, tell us more?! Unstad is waaay North isn’t it? North of Narvik? What was your route, and how many days did you take? I presume that you didn’t go in winter?!
Aren’t all the tunnels and bridges expensive in Norway (tolls)? I ran up a few quid just driving from Copenhagen to Oslo a couple of years ago. Would love to go further north one day, and the route over to Bergen is pretty spectacular I am told.
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Twin
Apr 13, 2020 8:40:22 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Apr 13, 2020 8:40:22 GMT
Hey Tired, tell us more?! Having just been for the weekly shop, the daily 7.5 mile walk calls. If you're really interested, I'll respond later (and if you fancy going, just do it! (as and when, of course)).
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Twin
Apr 13, 2020 19:44:26 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Apr 13, 2020 19:44:26 GMT
Hey Tired, tell us more?! Unstad is waaay North isn’t it? North of Narvik? What was your route, and how many days did you take? I presume that you didn’t go in winter?! Aren’t all the tunnels and bridges expensive in Norway (tolls)? I ran up a few quid just driving from Copenhagen to Oslo a couple of years ago. Would love to go further north one day, and the route over to Bergen is pretty spectacular I am told. We've toured Scandinavia a few times in the 'van. It's the sort of location that lends itself to motorhoming, as the travel is part of the experience, and it helps to keep the costs down self-catering (I once spent a full mortgage on a salmon dinner and a beer in Oslo). TBH, across all the countries there are few tolls (Norway probably has most, they're not extortionate, and they are more or less all electronic now). The ferries in Norway (and there are a lot, and you would need to use some) are also somewhat cheaper than you might think (at least in a car - anything over 6m long and the cost rockets). The main cost issue now that there are no direct ferries to Scandinavia is that you have to get across the Storebelt and Oresunds bridges, which, though spectacular are expensive, and doubly so in a motorhome (Though there are ways to soften the blow). A reasonable alternative is a ferry from North Germany to Southern Sweden, which is cheaper than the bridge tolls, and also saves some considerable mileage. My first trip, almost 40 years ago and with SWMBO before we married, was by train to Bergen (courtesy of my then 1st Class "All Stations and Ships" railway pass, and free 1st Class Continental travel - well you have to, don't you!). Fjiordland is spectacular, but even then accommodation and food was expensive. Well worth a visit (until you discover the far North). We returned with the eldest to do a campervan tour round the similar area about 30 years ago (Ferry, Newcastle to Bergen that time), and loved our revisit. The next journey was with both kids, and we got as far as Narvik and the Vesteralen before we ran out of time and had to turn back (in those days, the Lofoten Island road had a good number of ferries, all bridged or tunnelled now, so would have been a very slow run. Whilst buying big, eff-off Mainframe Laser Printers I'd had a few work trips to the IBM factory at Järfälla North of Stockholm, and liked the place immensely (I really do like the Swedish people and lifestyle; the scenery, though good, isn't as spectacular as Norway, though), so a trip round Sweden, taking in the Centre, Stockholm and the mid North came next. A few forays across the German border, into Denmark, and then, immediately after I retired, a road trip via Finland was planned. That's another place I'd go back to - Ferry to Esbjerg, cross country to Stockholm, Ferry to Turku, North up Finland, round the top of the Gulf of Bothnia (second crossing of the Arctic Circle), and back down through the centre of Sweden - a magic holiday, but just over three weeks and definitely a road-trip. And then, three years ago, the Lofotens were on the agenda. This time ferry to Rotterdam, drive up through Germany, Denmark, over the big bridges into Sweden and head off up the East Coast as far as Gällivare and Kiruna, drop into Norway at Narvik, and out onto the Lofoten Islands. It is much quicker heading North in Sweden than Norway, and North of Trondheim, there's an awful lot of "nowt" in Norway. The scenery from Narvik onwards is out of this world, and then improves all the way to the end! (The only thing, and I say this with no sense of irony, is that there are now too many motorhomes). We dropped back off the Lofotens by ferry to avoid some miles, called in at Bodo, dropped down to Mo-I-Rana and then back into Sweden, and back through the, bucolic and beautiful, centre. Slowly back to Rotterdam for the ferry. That was just under 5000 miles and took 28 days. All our visits (bar the one by train, which was September) were around May/June. If you really want the ultimate detail (a bit more insight), I've a trip report somewhere on another forum I could link to.
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Twin
Apr 13, 2020 21:29:13 GMT
via mobile
Post by dixinormus on Apr 13, 2020 21:29:13 GMT
Fantastic insight, many thanks! One day....
I lived in Denmark during the time that the 2 bridges were constructed. When heading north/south the direct ferry to Puttgarden in Germany used to save a lot of time vs. driving via Jutland.
I’ve driven the Copenhagen-Gothenburg-Stockholm-Copenhagen triangle and always had an itch to venture further north. Good tip about driving up through Sweden and then cutting over to Narvik.
Fond memories of work trips to Helsinki and would like to go again one day. But maybe Finland is a monotonous road trip? Lakes and pine trees ad infinitum?!
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Twin
Apr 14, 2020 6:30:31 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Apr 14, 2020 6:30:31 GMT
But maybe Finland is a monotonous road trip? Lakes and pine trees ad infinitum?! ...can't say I found it so (though I do like lakes and trees ). It was all "new"; we were lucky with the weather, and one of the reasons we find motorhome travel suits us is that we can take delight in almost anything we find; anywhere. I like meeting people, and different cultures. Add to that the fact that the (main) roads were excellent, and you maybe saw another vehicle once every half hour, then it would be difficult to imagine a road-trip more restful. It might be different if we returned, but somehow I doubt it.
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Twin
Apr 14, 2020 13:44:40 GMT
Post by EspadaIII on Apr 14, 2020 13:44:40 GMT
We did the Hurtigruten ship from Tromso down to Trondheim about ten years ago. A great trip and magnificant scenery.
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Twin
Apr 14, 2020 15:10:27 GMT
Post by Alanović on Apr 14, 2020 15:10:27 GMT
I did me Hurtigruten once, bloody painful it was.
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WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,356
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Twin
Apr 14, 2020 16:43:48 GMT
via mobile
Post by WDB on Apr 14, 2020 16:43:48 GMT
Did you leave it on the grill for too long?
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Twin
Apr 16, 2020 8:16:53 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Apr 16, 2020 8:16:53 GMT
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